Snowmobile
by Shay59317
Summary: Katherine, along with her family, were off to spend a couple weeks with their relatives. Nobody could've possibly foretold what would happen during then. Only one question remains: Will she survive? Or will she crumple from the weight of the struggle?


**Snowmobile**

How the hell does one find themselves in this situation? Only the worst luck imaginable could've brought this upon someone. Tyche clearly wasn't at Katherine's side. Death was shadowed in the wings of the storm.

Snow blew all around her in large gulf ball sized darts. Everywhere, everything, was covered in a thick blanket of white. Had it really only been a couple hours since it began?

Wave after wave hit Katherine from overhead, from the left, from the right—every square inch of her body. If it wasn't for the winter coat she wore . . . well, she'd be an ice cube on the side of the road by now. The dark blue jeans that adorned her legs weren't much help against the frigid, ice-laced winds. Beneath the layers, the girl shivered constantly. A couple more hours and death would be at her doorstep. Death at nineteen. What a depressing thought.

Yet, all it brought forth was defiance.

No.

 _No_.

Katherine was a fighter. She'd fight this until her very last breath, until her lungs collapsed, until her legs were so numb that it wasn't physically possible for them to keep working. Her siblings, her parents; she couldn't leave them.

Before we get to the good stuff though, how about we start at the beginning?

* * *

 _She and her family were on a trip from Mystic Falls, Virginia to Denver, Colorado. They planned to visit their relatives during Winter Break. Instead of taking a plane, they drove the whole way there. Their parents had said it was because they wanted to save money and that this would allow for more 'family bonding'. Her mom's words, not Katherine's._

 _Katherine had played "I spy" with her younger twin, Elena, and her younger brother, Jeremy for about a half hour before they'd all gotten bored. After that, they all did their own thing. The ride was pretty uneventful to say the least._

 _They stopped over at a hotel around nine pm. That meant that they'd been in the car for over twelve hours. Holy shit! Katherine groaned as she stepped out of the car, stretching her stiff muscles. She looked beside her to see both of her siblings doing the same._

 _"_ _Both of you okay?" Katherine asked them. She'd always been the overprotective big sister; she felt it was her job as the oldest to keep them safe. It was ingrained into her brain at a very young age by her parents who'd always given her the most responsibility—those of which included watching over Elena and Jeremy while they were out late, hosting some gala to raise money for the hospital._

 _"_ _Fine, Kath." Elena said tiredly. "I just wanna get some sleep." Jeremy rolled his shoulders and shot Katherine a small smile._

 _"_ _Ditto," Jeremy agreed with Elena. Katherine nodded, moving to stand in between her younger siblings as she saw their parents, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, exit the hotel, carrying their keycards for the rooms._

 _"_ _We got two rooms," Grayson announced, handing a keycard to Katherine. "Your mother and I get one, and you three will share the other." The trio nodded to their parents; it wouldn't be the first time they'd shared a room. In fact, they preferred it like this when they were in unfamiliar places. That way they could keep an eye on each other._

 _They grabbed their luggage out of the trunk. Katherine was wheeling a couple of suitcases behind her. One for her shoes, make up, and other necessities while the other held all of her clothes. The Gilbert family took the elevator to the fifth floor and went to their rooms. Both were across from one another._

 _"_ _Good night," Miranda murmured to each of them after placing a kiss on each of their foreheads. When the teens got into their rooms, they immediately dropped their things by the door, too tired to place them anywhere else. It's not like they could unpack them since they were leaving first thing in the morning. There were two beds in their hotel room._

 _"_ _Dibs," Jeremy called, jumping on the one closest to the bathroom door. Katherine rolled her eyes. The beds were both the same; it's not like one was comfier than the other. But she knew that Jeremy wouldn't be deterred either way. Looks like she and Elena would be sharing the other bed. Again, no surprise there. She dug her PJs out of her suitcase._

 _Katherine's eyes shot to Jeremy's when she heard his sharp inhale. Jeremy now sat up on the bed with his phone in his hands, and his eyes were widened significantly. Quietly, she slid up behind him and glanced over his shoulder at his screen to see who had texted him._

 _Kol Mikaelson._

 _The picture that was attached to the text burned into her retinas. She'd seen more of her brother's boyfriend than she'd ever wanted to see. Damn though. For a seventeen-year-old, Kol was hot. Being on the school's varsity lacrosse team had its perks, and an amazing physique was definitely one of them. Katherine shook the image away and smirked as Jeremy excused himself to the bathroom. With their brother otherwise occupied and not in the room, Elena and Katherine changed into their PJs. They heard the shower starting in the other room. Katherine shook her head, climbing into bed beside Elena. Her twin was also on her phone, texting away at a rapid pace._

 _"_ _Kai?" Katherine asked knowingly. Elena nodded, smiling down at the screen as she read another of Kai's texts. "Please tell me he's not sexting you." Elena's eyes darted from her screen to Katherine's face._

 _"_ _What?" Elena asked, cheeks reddening._

 _"_ _Kol," Katherine smirked, shaking her head. Elena laughed, understanding her little brother's predicament. But then she groaned. Kai and Kol were practically peas in a pod, so if Kol was sending her brother pics, it wouldn't be long before Kai started doing the same to her. Elena was starting to dread the next three weeks without her boyfriend. Katherine, noticing Elena's crestfallen face, pulled her twin into a hug._

 _"_ _It'll be okay, Lena." Katherine reassured. "This'll be over before you know it."_

 _"_ _Oh yeah," Elena drawled sarcastically. "Three weeks living with our relatives. Sounds like a blast." Katherine laughed lightly. She couldn't deny Elena's claim. Their cousins weren't exactly people they wanted to hang out with. In fact, for the most part of their visits, they annoyed the hell out of Katherine. She frowned at the thought and groaned aloud._

 _"_ _Damnit," Katherine sighed. "Almost forgot about that." It was Elena's turn to laugh._

 _"_ _I've got your back Kath," Elena promised as she allowed her head to sink into a pillow._

 _"_ _And I have yours," Katherine returned. The smile that she reserved only for her siblings reappeared on her face._

 _"_ _Me too," came Jeremy's voice as he exited the bathroom. His voice was muffled behind the towel that he was using to dry his hair. He wore his favorite grey sweats to bed._

 _"_ _Feel better Jer?" Katherine piped up, throwing him a wink. Jeremy's head popped out from under the towel to narrow his eyes at her playfully._

 _"_ _Much," he replied._

 _"_ _How's Kol?" Elena joined in on their banter. Jeremy's eyes widened slightly._

 _"_ _Did you see—"_

 _"_ _Yep," Katherine interjected. Jeremy shook his head, muttering about nosy older sisters before throwing his wet towel back into the bathroom. He made his way over to Katherine and Elena, sitting on his bed and facing them._

 _Elena threw a pillow at his head, hitting him square in the face, much to both her and Katherine's amusement. Jeremy threw it back, but Katherine caught it midair and set it back on their bed._

 _"_ _Seriously though," Elena cleared her throat, "how's Kol?"_

 _"_ _Good," Jeremy replied. "He and his family are spending their winter break in New York. Kol said that Rebekah would be dragging him along shopping for most of the trip." Katherine smirked at that. She knew Rebekah would do her best at torturing Kol for the duration of that entire trip. By the end of it, he'll be begging to go back home. To say the least, Jeremy was going to have a lot of cheering up to do._

 _"_ _If he survives that, you'll have your work cut out for you, Jer," Elena, evidently, was on the same page as Katherine. Jeremy grinned._

 _"_ _I've already got something in mind." Jeremy quickly shot his boyfriend a text before putting his phone on the charger. "Since you're so adamant on getting the details on my boyfriend, how about we talk about yours Elena." It wasn't a question. Katherine smirked, leaning on her elbow as she turned to Elena. When it came to boyfriends, Jeremy couldn't touch Katherine; he had nothing on her._

 _"_ _Kai is flying over to Oregon to visit family for a week, and then he spends the rest of the time in Mystic Falls." Elena explained, frowning to herself. Katherine and Jeremy winced in unison._

 _"_ _Ouch." Katherine voiced aloud, feeling sympathetic towards her sister's boyfriend, "He's definitely not going to enjoy that."_

 _Both of them knew how much of an outcast Kai was in his own family. It was sad really, and that's all the more reason that they welcomed him so easily into their little family. To both Jeremy and Katherine, he was like a brother. For Elena, it was an entirely different story. As young as she was at nineteen, Elena had never loved anyone like she'd loved Kai. He was completely different from her first boyfriend, Matt Donovan and her last one, Liam Davis._

 _Kai was more of a rebel, but as she got to know him and broke through his walls, she got to see the sweet guy underneath the hard exterior. To anyone else, he was a bit sarcastic, maybe even honest to the point of coming off a little rude to the average person, but to Elena, he was the perfect gentleman. Their parents took a bit more convincing when it came to Kai's persona, but he grew on them eventually. They wanted their daughter happy, and Kai made Elena happy. Now, Kai was practically an extension of the family._

 _"_ _Nope," Elena agreed. The chime of an incoming phone call drew their attention to Elena's phone. "Speak of the devil." Elena answered the phone. Her lips quirked upward as the sound of Kai's voice filled her ears._

 _"_ _Hey kitten." Elena could practically hear his smirk filter through the speaker._

 _"_ _Kai," she greeted. Her siblings shot her matching mischievous looks, and she realized too late what they intended to do. Before she could stop it, Katherine snatched the phone out of her grip and put it on speaker so that she and Jeremy could join the conversation. "Hey!" Elena yelped, grabbing at air as she tried to retrieve her phone back._

 _"_ _Kitten?" Kai's voice turned concerned at her distress._

 _"_ _Hey man," Jeremy said._

 _"_ _Now that doesn't sound like Elena," Kai chimed jokingly. "Hey bro."_

 _"_ _Hey Kai," Katherine cut in before Jeremy could answer._

 _"_ _Closer, but still not the girl I was hoping for," Kai laughed. "Hey kitty Kat."_

 _"_ _How the hell do you do that?" Katherine asked, a pout on her face. Elena smirked at her twin; this was one of the qualities she loved most about her boyfriend—he could always somehow distinguish between Katherine and her._

 _"_ _Wouldn't you like to know," Kai avoided answering the question. That was a secret that he kept to himself. It was always something he could dangle over Katherine's head; as a bonus, it annoyed the hell out of her. "Since I'm talking to both of my girlfriend's siblings at the same time, I'm assuming that I'm on speaker."_

 _"_ _Yes," Elena affirmed. "They snatched my phone." Katherine shrugged unapologetically. Jeremy raised his hands in the air, smiling innocently at Elena._

 _"_ _There's my girl," Kai chuckled. "How's the trip going?"_

 _"_ _Uneventful," Elena replied._

 _"_ _Boring," Jeremy and Katherine uttered in unison._

 _"_ _Same here," Kai complained. "Our plane landed a couple hours ago. Just got settled into my new room. I can already tell that this trip's gonna be_ fun _."_

 _"_ _You know how it is with family," Katherine sighed. "You're stuck with them whether you like it or not."_

 _"_ _Wise words kitty Kat." Kai smirked. "Now how 'bout you and Jer Bear give my girlfriend back her phone so we can chat privately." On cue, Elena slyly seized her phone from her siblings and turned it off of speaker. She stuck her tongue out at Katherine and Jeremy when they made their dissatisfaction known. Then Elena disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind her to give herself some privacy._

 _The room remained pitch black until one of them managed to find the switch on the lamp. Despite the room remaining deathly silent, Katherine couldn't make out any of the words Elena spoke. Everything was muffled, so she gave up trying._

 _Kol and Jeremy. Kai and Elena. Both of Katherine's siblings were in happy relationships. It was at times like this, when she was consumed by thoughts and feeling lonely, that she was most envious of them. Her last long-term relationship had ended a few months ago. Katherine had been dating Mason Lockwood for a while, but it got to the point where she realized that her relationship with Mason wasn't going to go anywhere. Katherine loved the thought of being with him more than she enjoyed his actual company. With that epiphany in mind, she'd ended it. This led her to where she was now—alone._

 _In the dark of the hotel room, consumed by loneliness, she longed for a pair of strong arms to wrap around her body, and for just a second, she could practically feel the sensation. In the next moment, the feeling was gone._

 _Eventually, Katherine fell asleep to the sound of Jeremy's light breathing and the sound of Elena bidding Kai goodbye with a meaningful "I love you". Her last thought had something to do with finding a boy of her own that cared for her as much as her siblings' boyfriends did them._

 _Whatever it was, she wouldn't remember it in the morning._

* * *

Thinking back to that night in the hotel with Jeremy and Elena almost brought a smile across her blue, chapped lips. It was successful in one instance though; it renewed her strength. The feeling was almost warm as it wrapped itself around her shivering muscles. Shivering was good though, Katherine vaguely recalled information from her high school heath class. It meant that hypothermia had yet to set in. Ergo, she still had time.

Once it did set in, Katherine wouldn't have much longer to reach civilization, to see a car, to find anything that could save her. Gritting her teeth, she foraged on through the snow in her heeled boots.

Yeah, the heels. Definitely not ideal footwear for the job.

Well, next time she planned to get caught up in a huge snowstorm and end up having to hike through several inches of snow, she'd be more practical.

Good 'ol sarcasm; it was one of her only companions beside the freezing cold. A humorless chuckle escaped her lips. Being in that hotel room, wishing for a guy like Kol or Kai felt like a dream. She didn't care about that now. It didn't matter which guy came to her rescue. She just needed to be rescued—whether by her own wit or by somebody else.

Her eyes blurred as an unexpected glob of snow lobbed itself into her eyes. Glasses or shades would've been nice right then. Anything to shield herself from the cold. Her hands, clenched, dug deeper into the fleece pockets of her jacket.

Through the blurry vision, two bright lights came into view. Was that a car?

Immediately, her hands dove out of her pockets, and she waved her arms in the air frantically to gain the driver's attention.

* * *

 _After another half day of driving, the Gilberts finally arrived in Denver, Colorado and were pulling into the driveway of Miranda's sister's house._ Holy shit _, Katherine thought as she gazed up at the house. She flashed back a couple months earlier when their parents told Katherine, Elena, and Jeremy that their Aunt had moved into a bigger house with her new husband, Lloyd. Miranda's sister, Amelia, didn't live in a house, Katherine decided. She lived in a freaking mansion._

 _Before their arrival, Katherine had had her doubts about all of her relatives being able to stay in one place. There was no way a house could have that much room, but looking at this mansion in front of her, she knew without a doubt that everyone and their neighbor could fit._

 _Surprisingly, they were the Gilberts seemed to be the first ones to arrive. Katherine and Jeremy shared a grimace—they'd have to entertain the cousins. Elena, noticing the exchange, rolled her eyes. She completely shared their view, but did they have to be so obvious about it?_

 _"_ _Here we go," Katherine warned lowly to her siblings as she spotted their Aunt making their way to the car._

 _"_ _Miranda!" Aunt Amelia cried, throwing her arms around her sister when she stepped out of the car. "How was the trip?"_

 _"_ _It was good," Miranda smiled. "The kids were using their technology the whole time."_

 _"_ _Teenagers," their Aunt chided teasingly, shaking her head. Katherine and Jeremy subtly shoved Elena forward first. Elena scowled but quickly planted a smile on her face when she stood in front of their Aunt._

 _"_ _Elena!" Her Aunt called, pulling the girl into a hug. "It's so good to see you! You're so much taller." Katherine bit back a snort. Of course Elena looked taller. The last time their Aunt had seen them was when they were eight._

 _"_ _Hey Aunt Amelia," Elena greeted. Katherine put on a smile, sliding out of the car as she did so. She moved a strand of curly hair out of her face and stepped forward._

 _"_ _Hello," she said, saving Elena from their Aunt's attention. Her Aunt's eyes snapped to her own. Katherine braced herself._

 _"_ _Katherine!" was heard before said girl was engulfed in a pair of arms and consumed by the smell of strong perfume. Katherine fought back the urge to gag. When Jeremy appeared, he was smothered as well. At some point—Katherine couldn't bother paying attention to what other pleasantries were said—they were ushered into the house with their bags._

 _"_ _You guys remember your cousin Jake," Miranda's voice brought Katherine's attention back to the room. A tall boy, looking around eighteen stood before the three Gilbert children. His hair was brown and matched his eyes._

 _Jake, right._

 _Katherine definitely remembered the time he threw mud into her and Elena's hair during their last visit._

 _"_ _Yeah," Katherine muttered. The brunette was known to hold a grudge._

 _"_ _Jake will show you guys to your rooms," their Aunt placed a hand on Jake's shoulder and gave him a meaningful look. He nodded and trailed up the stairs without a word. The trio, carrying their bags, followed. When Jake reached the landing, he glanced back to see if they were following before continuing down the hall._

 _"_ _You can use any of these," Jake said quietly. Almost shyly. Katherine eyed him curiously. This was not the guy she remembered. Then again, it'd been nearly ten years since they'd seen him. A lot can change in ten years._

 _"_ _Thanks," Elena smiled. "I think we can take it from here then." Jake nodded, shooting them a half smile and left._

 _Curious, Katherine opened the closest door to her left and opened it wide for them all to see. The room was at least twice the size of Katherine and Elena's room back home. A queen-sized bed was up against the back wall, and two windows flanked it. The color scheme of the room and furniture blended together perfectly._

 _"_ _You two gonna share?" Jeremy asked the twins. Elena bit her lip as she pondered the question._

 _"_ _I don't know," Elena said, looking to Katherine. "What do you think?"_

 _"_ _I think," Katherine began, "that we should take the opportunity that's presented itself." The curly haired girl pointed to a door within the room she'd opened. Walking over to it, Katherine opened it to see the bathroom along with another door leading into the same bathroom. "The bathroom is conjoined with the room next to it. You take that room, I'll take this one." Katherine proposed. Elena agreed and set her stuff down on the bed in the other room. Jeremy took one of the rooms across from them._

 _Each set off to unpack in peace._

* * *

Katherine should've stayed in her room. This never would've happened if that had been the case. If she could time travel back to that moment, she wouldn't make that mistake again. She should've paid more attention to her Aunt's, unintentional at the time, warning.

Anyways, back to the headlights shining into view.

Katherine actually took her hands out of the warmth of her pockets to wave down the stranger. She'd finally done it. She was going to make it out of the storm alive. As the vehicle moved closer, she relaxed. A smile broke across the surface. She'd see her family again. Soon.

And then the unbelievable happened.

Bet you're wondering how this could possibly get worse, right?

Katherine tripped.

That's right. She fucking _tripped_. The numbness crept up on her knee and for a second it gave out. It gave out just long enough for the foot on that same leg to hit a rock that lie underneath the inches of snow, and not expecting the obstacle, her leg gave out. After the one, came the other. Katherine face planted in the snow. If it was cold before, it was even colder now. The snow met her jeans and encountered what little body heat that resided in her legs, melting it immediately and soaking the fabric.

The car blew right by her.

The snow coming down was far too thick to see through. The snow on the ground concealed Katherine's body perfectly. The driver never knew she was there.

* * *

 _"_ _You know, you guys arrived just in time." Amelia's new husband, Lloyd told them over dinner. "A huge snow storm was said to be arriving in a couple days."_

 _"_ _Oh, I hadn't heard about it," Grayson commented, taking a bit of food before continuing, "I guess it's a good thing I took off of work a little bit ahead of schedule then." Katherine groaned inwardly. A snowstorm meant staying inside and having to interact with her relatives. They'd no doubt resort to board games to pass through the time it took for the roads to clear. That meant no shopping either. Yep, she was in hell. Although, she might be able to get Elena to cover for her, but that was by a long shot. There was a halt in conversation at the sound of a texting tone. From the corner of Katherine's eye, she saw Jake flush._

 _"_ _Mom, may I be excused?" Jake asked, clenching at his phone from beneath the table. Amelia smiled knowingly at her son._

 _"_ _You may," she said. Jake swiftly left the room._

 _"_ _What was that about?" Miranda smiled, mirth in her tone._

 _"_ _Let's just say that my son has a new girlfriend." Amelia shook her head with a smile. Katherine tuned them out after that. Her cousin's life wasn't on any priority list of hers and never would be. That was all his business. Even so, the thought still crept to mind. Was she the only one left single in their little group of friends? Caroline had Klaus, Bonnie had Enzo, Matt had Rebekah, Tyler had Liv, Vicki was with Finn, and of course, her siblings had their own respective significant others. All of the couple-y displays surrounding her on a daily basis were starting to suffocate her. Katherine needed some type of relief. Badly._

 _"_ _So, Elena," Amelia piped up during a bout of silence, everyone concentrating on their own plates, "are you still with that boy I've been hearing about for so long?" Oh yeah—it's been almost a year since Kai and Elena started dating, Katherine realized._

 _"_ _Um yeah," Elena began uncomfortably, "for a few months now." It was clear that Elena to Katherine that her twin was trying to shrug the sudden attention off of her, but by the looks of it, it wasn't going to work. When their aunt wanted to know something, she'd somehow wriggle the information out of you._

 _"_ _Wow, what's the guy's name?" Amelia eyed Elena speculatively._

 _"_ _Kai Parker." Elena's lip curled upward as his name passed her lips. The affection in her voice as she spoke his name was clear to everyone's ears._

 _"_ _You sound like you care a great deal about him," Amelia voiced her thoughts aloud. "Are things getting serious between you two? A few months is a bit short for that, don't you think?" If it wasn't for the condescension in their Aunt's tone, she would've sounded like a typical worried aunt. Her insinuation was crystal clear. She'd written Elena off as naïve and young, insinuating that Kai and Elena were merely rushing things along; a train wreck waiting to happen._

 _Katherine hissed inwardly. She saw Elena's cheeks beginning to turn pinker, but Katherine knew that it was more out of anger than embarrassment. She couldn't blame her. Katherine was pissed along with her. No one got away with insulting her twin. Before the curly haired girl could speak up in her twin and Kai's defense, Elena spoke up, placing a warning hand on her arm—the one concealed by the table._

 _"_ _No," Elena disagreed. "The time it takes to fall in love is immeasurable. For some it's love at first sight, others it takes weeks, and for some it takes years."_

 _"_ _That's very wise Elena," Lloyd sent her an apologetic smile on behalf of his wife. He knew that she could come off a little rude without meaning to. Elena shrugged._

 _"_ _It's what I believe." She said simply._

 _"_ _How about you Katherine—?" The doorbell rang. Everyone exchanged confused looks. No one else was supposed to show up today according to both Amelia and Lloyd._

 _"_ _Who could that be?" Amelia voiced curiously._

 _"_ _I'll go check the door," Lloyd volunteered. As he left, Jake reentered the room._

 _"_ _Hey mom, I invited the Salvatores over. They said their dad is being . . . difficult." Jake announced vaguely. On cue, two guys, one looking to be in his early twenties and the other late teens, entered followed by Lloyd. Katherine eyed them with interest. The youngest had dark blonde hair piled neatly atop his head and the greenest eyes that Katherine had ever seen; they were captivating. Despite the thick coat he wore, she could see how fit his body was. To put it simply, this guy was hot. Her gaze shifted to the older of the two. He was just as fit as his brother. Dark hair, a five o'clock shadow caressing his jaw, and piercing blue eyes. Forget whatever she said earlier about the first guy. If that guy was hot then this guy was gorgeous. He put all of her past boyfriends (Mason, Elijah, Trevor, etc.) to shame._

 _"_ _Hey Mrs. Dempsey," the hot guy greeted Amelia, looking around politely at all of the present company. Though Katherine's main focus was on the other guy who continued to look around the room easily, checking out the new company._

 _"_ _Stefan," Amelia smiled. "It's good to see you. Are you hungry at all? By the looks of it, there's plenty of leftovers." Huh, now she had a name for the face. Now she could stop referencing him as 'that hot guy' in her head. All that was left was gorgeous guy's name._

 _"_ _We're good, ma'am." Stefan answered, smiling. "My brother and I picked up something to eat earlier." Katherine's eyes connected with blue ones. She refused to be the first to look away and stared him head on, challengingly. She saw gorgeous guy begin to smirk lightly before he looked away and continued his perusal of her family._

 _"_ _Okay, that's fine. But if you change your mind, it's all yours." Amelia reassured._

 _"_ _Thank you." He replied._

 _"_ _Come on guys," Jake motioned them out of the room. The two brothers waved their goodbyes and left with Jake. Katherine didn't catch gorgeous guy's name._

 _The dinner continued onward as if nothing had happened, yet in the corner of Katherine's mind, a pair of blue eyes, a hidden smirk, and a handsome face had taken root._

* * *

Elena's relationship wasn't brought up after that. Elena was a bit quieter at the table, much to Katherine's distaste. Another bout of anger hit her.

Previously, it had been because of her tripping stunt. She'd banged her hands sharply into the ground. Katherine had screamed until her throat was raw and her hands were as numb as her feet. She was quick to stop. Wasting energy was a matter of life and death. Katherine needed all that she had if she was going to make it out of this storm.

This time when the anger hit, she used it in a more efficient way. Her determination grew and she walked a little faster. Body heat needed to be conserved. The faster she moved, the longer the heat could burn. It was like the train's engine in _The Polar Express_. Shovel in more coal, and the train would continue to function. If Katherine kept her body moving, she'd remain alive.

Not for the first time, she wondered what the time was. What were Elena and Jeremy doing? Were they looking for her with their parents? God, Katherine hoped so.

Katherine looked down at her hands; they weren't in her pockets anymore, and she was hit with a daunting realization. She wasn't shivering anymore.

It was the hypothermia. It had finally set in.

Katherine stuffed her hands back into the pockets. Worry and panic began to sink into her bones. Her eyes darted around her surroundings for another car. There was nothing but white. The helplessness she felt had never been so great.

They would find her; they had to.

Like Jeremy said, Elena and him had Katherine's back. Always.

* * *

 _Katherine tossed and turned. The howl of the wind outside echoed in her ears. There was no way she was falling asleep tonight. The covers slipped, revealing bare shoulders and the straps of her tank top, and Katherine shivered from the cold._

Knock _._

 _Katherine's eyebrows furrowed. Who could be at the door this late at night? Her answer came in the form of her brother, slipping through the small window of space into her room._

 _"_ _Jer?" Katherine uttered._

 _"_ _Kat," Jeremy greeted in a whisper._

 _"_ _What're you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Couldn't sleep." He replied, sprawling across the foot of her bed in his long-sleeved t-shirt and sweats._ You and I both, brother, _she thought to herself. Not only would she be dealing with her cousins tomorrow, but she'd be doing so on minimal sleep. That was not a good combination. "Kol says 'hi', by the way."_

 _"_ _You talked with him?" It had to be around midnight here in Denver. She didn't even want to think about how late it was in New York._

 _"_ _Yeah, briefly before saying goodnight. He's a couple hours ahead of us. I didn't want to keep him up any longer; he looked exhausted." Jeremy explained. His expression morphed into one of concern as he stared up at the ceiling. The dark half-moons beneath Kol's eyes were enhanced on Jeremy's screen during their FaceTime call. Jeremy wondered if Kol's night terrors were back._

 _"_ _Good call." Katherine commented. "He's going to need all the energy he can get for tomorrow. Rebekah won't go easy on him." Jeremy winced sympathetically. He'd only went on one of Rebekah's favorite shopping sprees. Never again would he subject himself to such torture._

 _"_ _True." Jeremy supplied. "Speaking of tomorrow. You ready to see the cousins again?"_

 _"_ _Am I ever?" Katherine sighed, grimacing. Jeremy patted her leg over the comforter. Their cousins always seemed to act particularly worse to Katherine, for whatever reason._

 _"_ _Hey, Elena and I have your back." Jeremy promised. "So if you ever need to get away, we'll cover for you."_

 _"_ _Thanks Jer." Katherine smiled and teased, "Have I ever told you you're my favorite brother."_

 _"_ _Aw thanks sis," Jeremy chuckled. "I won't tell Kai you said that."_

 _"_ _Slowly rethinking that statement." She said, smirking, to which Jeremy rolled his eyes playfully. They lapsed into silence soon after, reveling in the peacefulness that was broken only by Elena's soft snores from the next room over. The wind, still harshly blowing through the trees, intermingled with the sound of their breathing, Elena's snores, and the occasional creak from downstairs. It all melded into the background, becoming a mere drone in their ears, and lulled the siblings into a deep sleep._

* * *

Twenty minutes after Katherine stopped shivering, she was done. Her legs gave out beneath her. The human body could only take so much. Right now, her own was shutting down, conserving what last energy it had left. Katherine curled into a ball using the last remaining strength she had.

This was it.

She was going to die.

To think, the reason she was in this whole mess was because of a stupid fight. As always, she'd been blamed for something she didn't do. Her cousin Maria's doing, of course. 'Blame Katherine' was a popular game when it came to the entertainment of Maria and Maria's sister.

When Miranda, her own mother, had turned on Katherine too, the girl had lost it. She left as quickly and as discreetly as possible. Nobody knew she was gone thanks to Elena and Jeremy. As mentioned before, they had her back. Katherine needed to get away from the two devil spawns, and they'd helped her escape.

Look where that got her. On the way back from her drive, and a few minutes after the storm had begun, her car broke down. Her cell was out of service too. Damn Tyche; what had Katherine ever done to deserve this?

As her eyes shut for what could be the last time, Katherine thought of her siblings. They would be disappointed, hurt. But Katherine could do no more.

She'd fought hard, and for that, Katherine was proud.

Finally, she let the dark void overcome her.

Immeasurable time passed.

She was too far gone to notice the engine rumbling towards her. But she did notice the light shining through her eyelids. Katherine struggled to open them, to move anything really. She couldn't.

She pitched towards blackness at a steady pace once more. Something loomed around the corner; she need only grab onto it, and it would take her spirit away.

"Holy shit," the low voice was barely received by her ears. A pause. The sound of rustling fabric and a _clack_ sounded. Almost like the sound of a helmet hitting asphalt, but softer—muffled. That was the snow's doing then. It was like she was in and out of consciousness. One minute she knew what was happening around her, the next there was nothing.

The next time she became aware, there was warmth on both of her cheeks. The man's hands must've been cupping them. Katherine mustered her strength again, using every ounce of will to open her eyes. At first, blackness; her eyes wouldn't give. After three seconds, she cracked her eyes open slightly. The young man before her was one she recognized.

It was none other than gorgeous guy. Behind him was a gleaming snowmobile.

"I know we weren't properly introduced," the blue-eyed man uttered, noticing her consciousness with evident relief, as he lifted her prone body off of the iced layer of snow bridal style. "I'm Damon." Once he got her situated on the snowmobile he lightly tapped her cheeks. "Hey," he spoke firmly, "keep those pretty eyes open. You need to stay awake. Here, put these on." He took off his gloves and placed them in her hands. Katherine was quick to comply, slipping on the warm gloves. They practically radiated warmth. She sighed in delight. Small pleasures were a godsend at this point. Damon situated her body so that she straddled the bike in front of him while he drove from behind her. "Hold on Princess." He said. "I'm taking you home."

If she was the princess, then that made him her prince.

Katherine smiled humorously.

Damon, her prince on a shiny snowmobile.

Damon's form shook behind her, and Katherine heard the chuckle escape his lips which were right beside her ear. He'd heard her.

"You can thank me later, princess."

* * *

 **Hey fellow readers! I've had this on my laptop for a while now and have finally decided it's ready to be posted. Did ya like? Tell me what you think with a review, yeah?**

 **If you want more, tell me. I'll see what I can do.**


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